


Field Trip

by Schadenfreudessa



Series: Unmitigated Fluff [1]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Kid Fic, M/M, Pre-Slash, hot dads
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-21
Updated: 2013-12-21
Packaged: 2018-01-04 08:06:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1078568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Schadenfreudessa/pseuds/Schadenfreudessa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony's daughter cons him into supervising a field trip for her class. It turns out a bit more intense than he had imagined.</p><p>For Request #30- Prompt 1: Single dad Tony goes to his child’s new school for something (parent career day or a play but up to you) there he finally gets to meet his kids new best friend and their dad Loki.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Field Trip

**Author's Note:**

  * For [glitter_dresses](https://archiveofourown.org/users/glitter_dresses/gifts).



> The kids are about seven years old in this, so first grade in the American school system.

Tony sighs, leaning back into the stiff plastic seats with a sharp frown. The rickety bus lurches over another bump in the road, and Tony glares at nothing particular as he’s jostled and jerked around. How he managed to get trapped on this hideously yellow deathtrap, he still hasn’t quite figured out, but most likely – as with all the ridiculous things Tony has been manipulated into doing, it is by Pepper and Ellie’s joint plotting.

Not that he doesn’t love spending time with his daughter; he loves her dearly, from her short-cropped chestnut curls to the ratty Chucks she almost never takes off, along with the gap-toothed smile and wide hazel eyes in between. But really, stuck on the archaic beast that passes for transportation by the school board’s reckoning and surrounded by the demon spawn of New York City is as close to Hell on Earth as Tony can probably get. It’s only the weight of Ellie leaning against Tony’s side that makes the ride bearable. She’s got him trapped in against the window – the clever girl – small body pressed to his side as she kneels on the seat, completely turned around to talk to the kid behind them. They’re chattering on about what they want to do once they arrive at their destination, and Tony smiles a bit as Ellie gesticulates wildly, nearly losing her balance when the bus bounces again. It’s only Tony’s arm around her waist that holds her up, and while she doesn’t acknowledge it at all, it feels like an accomplishment to keep his little girl safe while riding in a vehicle that cannot be meeting safety standards.

Really, it is hard to believe that the school had turned down his generous offer of using a limo for this field trip in favor of this horror.  Tony is already dreaming up ways to improve everything, and he slides his phone out of his pocket to begin tapping out designs and modifications, his other arm still loosely holding Ellie steady. It’s only a moment later, though, that a message comes through, and he opens it in curiosity – it could be really important.

Unfortunately, it’s not really important. Actually, it’s just a text message from Pepper, which could be interesting were she not determined to make him into the ultimate stay-at-home Dad, probably so she could take his place as the best and brightest of Stark Industries while Tony goes to PTA meetings and chats about school budget cuts over Kool-Aid. She would even rename it, he’s sure, to Potts Industries or something equally lame. And the message she sends now is nothing but a threat as she furthers her agenda. “I have JARVIS set up to alert me when you’re on your phone. Cut it out and be a good little dad for your daughter”, it starts, and Tony can’t help but scowl down at his phone. Then another message pops up, which Tony clicks on unthinkingly. Pepper isn’t done.

“Next time you try and work, JARVIS is locking down your phone. Have fun”.

Tony’s scowl only grows, but before he can reply with his usual wit and disarming cleverness, there is a snort in his ear. And not just by his ear, but very much too close to his ear, entirely invading any barrier of personal space and violating his ear. Turning sharply, Tony aims his fierce glare at whoever the hell has decided to assault his face with their breath. What he gets is an eyeful of bright green irises and a wicked smirk set against pale skin and dark hair.

The other face is still entirely too close for comfort, however, and there isn’t anywhere for Tony to go in the tiny bus seat, especially not with Ellie hogging far more space than her small body should reasonably need. And the other guy – it’s definitely a guy, now that Tony’s gotten over his proximity shock – doesn’t seem to take a hint at all, just cocking an eyebrow at Tony’s obvious discomfort before leaning in just a bit farther. “Do you often need to be reminded of your own fatherly duties, Mr. Stark?” If that isn’t meant to be mocking, than Tony’s even less intelligent than Justin Hammer. That makes Tony really want to just punch the other man, though, because he’s gotten jibes over his fathering abilities ever since Ellie first fell into his life. The press and general public have acted as if it’s any bit their business over how Ellie was conceived or how she’s going to grow up; so what if she was the product of a one-night stand, or that the mother wanted nothing to do with Ellie, leaving her solely in Tony’s care – he has nothing but love for her, and he’s given up most everything from his old lifestyle just to be a better father for her. So no, Tony doesn’t handle doubts of his parenting very well, and if he could, he would just punch this smug asshole in the face. But that’s not a good idea when he’s got Ellie right there and a bunch of other children hanging around as well.

Instead, Tony settles with just ignoring the snub, turning away to face the front of the bus again. He’s determined not to give into his more violent desires, even though he can practically feel the smugness radiating off of the bastard behind him – or maybe that’s just the guy’s breath on the back of his head, because the guy probably hadn’t back away at all, just continuing on with his creeper ways. Tony just busies himself with putting away his phone and watching the scenery of upstate New York fly past the bus window.

That manages to east up some time, during which Ellie finally turns back around and joins Tony in his silent contemplation. She’s his daughter most definitely – sometimes they just want to rock out and make the world their bitch, but other times they find comfort in this type of silent companionship. But the silence ends as the bus pulls off the main road and into a parking lot near a rather plain brick building with an expansive glass front. Suddenly, Tony has a lapful of squealing little girl.

Ellie clambers over him, pressing her hands against the window in barely-contained excitement as they must have finally reached their destination. Tony can’t help but laugh because she’s just so adorable and she is _his_ somehow, by some grand miracle.  Of course, there are other kids on the bus who are just as eager, but no one does it as well as his Ellie. As the bus pulls to a stop and they wait for the doors to open, she turns to him with a bright smile and genuine happiness in her eyes. “Thank you, Daddy”, she says, and Tony smiles back but doesn’t say a word, not sure he can get anything out past the sudden tightness in his throat.

 

* * *

 

 

It’s still a while before they actually get to go into the building, though. Once everyone is off the bus, the teacher starts to go over basic rules – no horseplay, no touching exhibits, no vicious attacks against the museum staff. Tony doesn’t really listen, instead getting his first good chance to observe the entire class and the chaperones as well. Most of the class looks practically identical in that they are all small children in school uniforms. It’s a rather small group altogether, though, which is why there are only two other parents attending aside from Tony. One of them is the asshole from earlier, who has an equally pale little boy at his side. In all honesty, the kid could practically be a clone of the man that Tony is going to assume is his father. The only major difference Tony can make out is that the boy’s hair is wildly curly instead of the slicked-back locks of his father.

The other parent is also a dad – a surprising lack of women in the group, not that Tony thinks it’s women who should be raising kids, but the only women is the teacher, and that just seems a bit weird. But the last dad is a mountain of a dude with long blonde hair and blue eyes so bright that they are practically blinding Tony even from across the group. His large bulk of muscles would be intimidating if not for the three children assembled at his feet, all with the same hair and eyes. To be entirely honest, Tony can’t tell if the kids are girls or boys, but he supposes it doesn’t really matter.  All of them are standing rather close to the asshole dad, though, so they probably know each other – maybe they chaperone together, and now Tony is like the ‘new Dad on the block’ and he’s got to get jumped in or something just as ridiculous.

As the teacher’s lecturing finally winds down, Ellie wraps her hand in Tony’s. It startles him into paying a bit of attention again, which is perfectly timed, because as soon as the teacher releases them, Ellie is off and dragging Tony with her. She confidently leads the way through the rotating glass door, and Tony belatedly realizes that they were supposed to be split into groups, and that he should have more than just Ellie to take care of. However, he shrugs that away – no one should entrust their kids with him anyway; better to let the ‘experienced’ chaperones handle the other children.

Inside finally, Tony can’t help but be reluctantly impressed. When Pepper had asked – re: ordered – him to come, she had described the place as a space and space travel museum, but it’s proving to be much more than that. There are exhibits, but the museum is only a part of the building. The rest is a sort of astronaut camp for children. There are simulators for all sorts of different space flights, along with a mock ‘Mission Control’ area for the kids to explore. Ellie grabs a facility map as they pass the front lobby, pointing out that there is also a place to go on a moon-walk, and a bunch of other interactive attractions.

They set out immediately for the museum parts; Ellie is just as interested in those as everything else, and most of the other people are probably going to head for the interactive things first, so now they have this part of the building mostly to themselves. Ellie patiently goes through each bit of information that is present, absorbing it all with wide-eyes. The girl’s got an obsession with space that not even Tony can compete with – not that Tony would ever want to; his baby is headed for the stars.

After a few different exhibits, Tony realizes they aren’t as alone as they had been previously. He sees the kid first, but quickly realizes that it is Asshole Dad’s kid. Almost immediately after, he spots the bastard himself. It’s just the two of them, though, and again Tony wonders about the fate of the other children, but again, he doesn’t really care. Someone’s watching them, probably.

Still, Tony decides to ignore the extra presences in favor of enjoying his time with Ellie. They keep moving through, and Tony can’t help but have fun with his daughter. It’s funny, though, because she seems to know more than what the exhibits do, at least occasionally, and Tony throws information out too. It’s still a bit of a surprise, though, when there is a small boy at his side – the dark-haired asshole’s kid – looking up at him through wild black curls.

“Do you mind if we join you?” the kid asks, and his voice is quiet, though something about the kid says that ‘quiet’ isn’t normally his thing. However, he might be a bit shy, and Tony nods with a friendly smile, which makes the kid look grateful. His dad, though, not so much. Actually, Asshole Dad looks much less smug and much more pissed than before.

Ellie chooses that moment to smile around Tony’s legs, beginning to explain what she and Tony had been talking about. “My daddy knows so much about space”, she says enthusiastically, and while it’s not entirely true – astronomy isn’t his forte, but he does enjoy dabbling in astrophysics occasionally – the pride in that statement makes him smile. He wants his baby girl to be proud of him, even if it’s only because he knows all the moons of in their own solar system. “He is so smart, Fenrir, just like your dad”.

And wow, there are so many things about that statement that Tony needs to parse – the kid’s name is Fenrir, poor thing, and his dad is apparently a smart asshole, though not smart enough to give his kid a name that makes sense. Still Fenrir seems nice enough no matter how much of an asshole he might have for a parent, and no way would Tony judge a kid for who his father is. But somehow, they end up forming a group with Asshole Dad grumping along as Tony and Ellie expound upon space and Fenrir watches in silence.

But as before, Tony can see that silent is not Fenrir’s preferred state of being, and that the kid is getting a bit restless. However, it’s sort of obvious that he and Ellie are pretty good friends, and Tony briefly wonders if maybe Ellie is Fenrir’s only good friend, which is why he is sticking around despite his dad’s blatant displeasure and his own boredom. So, feeling rather bored himself, Tony starts to nudge Ellie along a bit, until they finally are back to the more exciting things.

Now, Fenrir seems to come to life, jumping right into line for Mission Control and Ellie trails right along behind him. Fenrir is much more animated like this, easily keeping pace with Ellie and even Tony’s occasional input. Asshole Dad doesn’t join in, though, just standing slightly back even while he’s still in line with them. When Tony glances over, he sees the guy just watching Ellie and Fenrir with an entirely unreadable look on his face. It’s something that Tony can’t even comprehend, and so he decides to ignore it. The kids are having fun, after all, and Tony is still trying to avoid a scene of any kind.

 

* * *

 

 

The Mission Control area is fun, even if they do have to rush through it a bit so they can visit everything in time. They are going to miss some stuff – it’s inevitable – but Ellie has already extracted a promise that the two of them will come back in the future. Like Tony would say no to that. The moon-walk passes much the same way, and so do a few of the smaller simulators. Throughout all of it, Asshole Dad doesn’t say a word, and maybe Tony finds that a bit worrisome, but he still doesn’t say anything. It’s not his problem unless the guy decides to involve Ellie, and that would be a very bad choice on his part. Tony won’t let a single thing happen to her, no matter what.

Finally, at the very end of the day, they make it to the Mission to Mars simulator. It’s what Tony knows that Ellie has been most looking forward to, and Fenrir looks just as excited while they wait in line. Really, it’s the major attraction of the museum, with signs and flyers up all over the place to advertise. As such, the line is long, but they should still have just enough time to make the simulation, and even Tony can’t help but be a bit excited. Yeah, it’s only a simulator, but it’s also the closest he’ll ever have been to flying to Mars – which is something he plans on fixing in the future, but he’s not there yet.

It seems like hours later before they finally reach the front of the line, and Tony has to put hand on Ellie’s shoulder to keep her from just entirely flipping out. She’s nearly vibrating with excitement as she prepares for the one thing that she has been waiting for since they announced the field trip months ago. Fenrir is actually vibrating, pacing and bouncing around with impatience until Asshole Dad takes his hand – so maybe the guy is only an asshole to other people who he didn’t lend half his DNA to.

And then the doors are opening, and Tony starts to step forward with Ellie under his hand, but they are intercepted by a museum staffer who takes one look at Ellie, then at Fenrir before dismissing them with a ‘too short’ comment. It’s more than a bit of a shock when there aren’t even any signs stating a minimum height limit. And yeah, it makes a bit of sense because both Fenrir and Ellie are on the small side, but Tony’s protests are only met with rehearsed lines about rules and regulation, safety equipment, and some bullshit apology that has his blood boiling. He doesn’t even realize that they are being herded out the door until they are in the parking lot again, the whole class assembled and waiting on the teacher to get the bus back around. He can feel the outrage crawling under his skin because he doesn’t even need to look at Ellie to know how disappointed she must be. He wants to give the museum a good thrashing – now he understand that rule about assaulting the staff – but instead turns his attention to Ellie. She needs to be his main concern right now.

Tony had been correct in knowing she would be heartbroken. Ellie’s eyes are shimmering with unshed tears, and he knows that she is fighting desperately to keep them that way. Tony kneels, putting himself at eye level and then pulling her into a hug. His baby is on the verge of crying, and she’s still young enough to accept the comfort as it’s given. Tony doesn’t say anything; Ellie is smart enough to understand even if that doesn’t help, and nothing Tony could say would do much good. So he hugs her tightly, and she hugs back, sniffling discretely into his shoulder.

“I just wanted to try it, Daddy”, she whimpers, voice rough with distress. Gods, his girl has the most terrifying and heartbreaking disappointed face, which is why he couldn’t have passed on this field trip. It was one thing when he had to attend to Stark Industries business or some sort of conference – then, she was disappointed but hid it rather well, though Tony still felt like a complete ass – but to turn down this trip without a Pepper-sanctioned excuse would have meant making his daughter cry, and he would not have been able to handle that. He can hardly handle it now, though it’s not even his fault.

“It’s alright, sweetheart”, he says back, voice quiet, but still loud enough for Fenrir to hear. He probably could use comforting too, though Tony sincerely hopes that Not-Such-An-Asshole Dad is taking care of that. “We’ll just have to build our own simulator and have a Mars mission. I’m sure JARVIS can dream something up for use before we even get home. It will be a thousand times better than whatever this place has, I can guarantee it”. That’s not enough, Tony’s sure, but at least Ellie’s sniffling has stopped, and she finally pulls away.

She’s still teary-eyed and sad, but there is a determined glint in her eye that Tony recognizes as his own – a Stark-trademarked brand of stubborn genius. She gives a sharp nod to Tony, which he returns with a smile, and he really does already have plans working through his brain, making a list of research he needs to get done, and parts that they can use. He and Ellie will build it together, which will just make it that much more awesome, and she’ll finally get to really break in that worktable that Tony set up for her in his lab.

Ellie steps back, and she shoots a quick glance to the side, silently drawing Tony’s attention there as well. Fenrir is standing there, looking just as distraught but without the comfort that Ellie has. Still Not-Entirely-an-Asshole Dad is speaking quietly with him, one hand brushing at the curls of hair hanging in the boy’s face. Tony can’t make out what he is saying, exactly, but it looks like it’s at least helping to calm Fenrir down. As Fenrir nods to his dad with a sniffle, Tony cuts in, not meaning to interrupt but wanting to help all the same. “You know, you’re welcome to come along too, once we get our own simulator finished”.

Fenrir looks practically star-struck, but he looks to Ellie, who is nodding enthusiastically, and then he is smiling too. Tony grins, knowing that this will be fun and happy that he could offer a solution. It will be the first time Ellie has had a friend over, but Tony is pretty sure his tower can handle an extra kid, though he might need to put the simulator in a room that isn’t his lab – there were dangerous things in there, after all. Any official plans, though, are interrupted by the bus pulling around, and then the teacher is shooing all the kids onto it. Tony lets Ellie go in front of him, but when he makes to follow, a hand clamps tightly around his wrist.

Tony stops immediately, turning to look at Asshole Dad, who is glaring fiercely and squeezing uncomfortably tight. For all that he is smart, Tony doesn’t get why – he just offered the guy’s kid a ride on what is essentially a private simulator, built by the very best, Tony Stark. But no, this guy is pissed instead, and he still seems to have a problem with personal space, as he steps way too close to Tony, leaning forward to growl. “You might seek to buy your daughter’s love, but don’t think you can do the same with my son”. And then the Definitely-an-Asshole Dad turns sharply to walk away, stalking onto the bus while Tony can only gape in shock.

He can’t really process that – he’s angry but also really confused and actually insulted. He was trying to be nice, after all, because Fenrir seems to be Ellie’s friend, and so he is supposed to be nice to his daughter’s friends, and invite them over for playdates or something. It’s only his determination to not start a scene that keeps him from chasing the bastard down, instead focusing on recollecting himself as the kids file onto the bus.

Then there is another hand on him, and really, Tony doesn’t actually like people touching him, but they just keep doing it! This time, though, it’s from the other dad, and his big meaty fist rests heavily on Tony’s shoulder. The guy is smiling in a friendly and sympathetic way, however, so Tony decides not to bitch at him, just shooting the guy an exasperated look. The blonde dad chuckles lightly, and maybe he gets exactly how Tony is feeling.

“Apologies for my brother’s behavior”, he starts, and Tony takes a moment to figure that out because they don’t look like brothers at all. Not the time or place to question that, however, and he doesn’t exactly want to dig through anyone’s family tree at the moment. “It is just that he is a single father much like you are, but while he is rather well off, it is not with the same ease that you are”. The blonde giant says that like it should mean something, but Tony still isn’t getting it.

The other guy sighs, but continues. “He struggles to give Fenrir everything he can, and yet it is you who my nephew speaks of often. Not all that strange, considered, as you are a celebrity of sorts, and because Fenrir is good friends with your daughter as well, and she often tells stories of you”. Well, that’s actually kind of cool that Ellie talks about him so highly, but the guy is still talking, so Tony refocuses. “He feels that he is failing in his duties as a father, or at least falling short somehow, and he so he blames you for it, rather unfairly”.

Tony starts to say something – to wave it all off or shoot something nasty back at this guy about his brother, but he doesn’t get much of a chance. “However”, the blonde goes on, talking right over Tony, “I think you will find he is quite a bit more similar to you than it might otherwise seem”. Then the blonde is slipping a paper into his hand, what is obviously a phone number and name scrawled across it. “Perhaps you should speak with him, if only to invite Fenrir over”. The blonde is walking away as he says that, leaving Tony more than a little stunned because he’s pretty sure that the guy is trying to set him up with his ass of a brother, and Tony has no idea what to do with that. He decides not to think on it immediately, instead tucking the paper into his jeans and making a mental note of that name – _Loki._

**Author's Note:**

> It occurred to me after the first draft that if only three parents chaperoned and two of them hung out with just their own kids, that left the last parent with twenty to thirty kids to watch. I decided not to fix that because I love the idea that each time the class goes on field trips, Loki just goes off and leaves Thor with this huge group, and he's used to it so he just goes along with it. The class is used to it too, and all the kids are really well-behaved for Thor because he's just so intimidating and loveable at the same time. Really, I just love the idea of Thor with a whole gaggle of children following him around, like little ducklings following after their overly-large and muscled momma-duck. It's adorable, and I love it.


End file.
